A strong Australian dollar has not dented the country's tourism industry, according to new figures.
Australian Bureau of Statistics arrival trends showed overseas visitors were up 3.7 per cent for the first nine months of 2007, compared to the same period last year.
Tourism groups last week warned the high dollar could be a "double whammy" for tourism - making Australia more expensive for foreign tourists and encouraging more Australians to holiday overseas.
But fears were allayed with the figures showing the trend had changed little compared to last year.
Figures which compared visitor arrivals from September 2007 to September 2006 found tourists from China were up 14.9 per cent, German tourists had increased 6.6 per cent and 6.1 per cent more New Zealanders had visited.
But Japanese tourist numbers continued to fall by around 10 per cent, with industry groups blaming the strong Australian dollar and competition from closer, more affordable holiday destinations.
Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said the statistics partly reflected the success of Tourism Australia's "So Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" campaign and other programs which targeted "big-spending" tourists.
She said Irish tourism was an example of high growth, with the number of Irish tourists increasing by 15 per cent to date this year compared to 2006.
"The Irish are drawn to Australia for our wonderful natural environment, our beautiful beaches and great local pubs," Ms Bailey said.
Tourism industry group Tourism and Transport Forum Australia (TTF) managing director Christopher Brown said while tourism was bolstered by a lower exchange-rate environment the latest figures showed there was no reason for the industry to panic.
"It is ridiculous to suggest that potential tourists are monitoring daily fluctuations in the Australian dollar to decide on their next holiday destination," Mr Brown said.
"Australia primarily targets high yield, big-spending international travellers who are not impacted by the strengthening dollar."
He said the international expansion of low-cost carriers was also reaping rewards with visitor numbers over the first nine months from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia up 7.7 per cent, 13.4 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively.
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